Various fluid dispensing systems have been developed to dispense a fluid from a dispensing nozzle toward a surface of a substrate. The fluid may be dispensed in an atomized form or in an un-atomized form as a stream or in beads depending on the intended application. Further, the shape of the fluid pattern may also vary, which may be due to the shape of the nozzle or control settings of the fluid dispensing system. For example, in conformal coating applications, fluid dispensing systems have been designed to dispense a flat, fan-like spray pattern of conformal coating material onto the surface of a substrate, such as a printed circuit board.
During the dispensing process, it is important to ensure that the fluid is dispensed within predetermined process limits of the fluid dispensing system. For example, in conformal coating applications, it may be important that the tracks or bands of coating converge along their adjacent edges or even slightly overlap, to ensure that a full surface coating is provided on the circuit board. To accomplish this, it may be necessary to determine the fluid pattern of the fluid as it is dispensed from the nozzle of the dispensing system. However, known methods are unable to accurately distinguish edges of a fluid pattern.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved fluid dispensing system and method to address the aforementioned problems and/or other problems known in the art.